1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a video device, and more particularly, to a video device having a priority-based recording function and a method for controlling the same.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Conventional video devices generally serve only to output a broadcast signal in real time or to output data input from an external device.
Recently, a video device having a video recording function, which allows the user to record A/V data and then to reproduce the recorded data when needed, has been introduced with the technical development of video devices.
Video devices having the video recording function include a Personal Video Recorder (PVR), a Portable Multimedia Player (PMP), a television having a video recording function, and a mobile phone having a video recording function.
For example, PVRs having a hard disk with about 120 GB of storage capacity can record about 13 hours of a High Definition (HD)-level program or can record about 42-53 hours of a Standard Definition (SD)-level program.
PVRs are advantageous over Video Tape Recorders (VTRs) in that they can record much more video data over a longer time than VTRs can record with a single tape.
Some video devices such as PVRs also have a timer recording function.
Such video devices allow users to set timer recording for one or more programs.
When the time to broadcast the programs set for timer recording is reached, the video device immediately starts recording the programs set for timer recording, and, when the recording is completed, the video device stores the recorded program in a memory provided in the video device.
However, the conventional video device having the video recording function and the conventional method for controlling the same have the following problems.
First, the conventional video device performs recording of programs set for timer recording based only on recording start times preset for the programs, regardless of different preferences of the user for the programs. Thus, when the video device is short of memory, the user may fail to record even the most preferred program.
If the user performs immediate recording of a currently viewed program after setting timer recording of one or more programs, an available memory space of the video device after the immediate recording is completed will differ from the available memory space at the moment when the timer recording was set.
Thus, the user may fail to record some programs set for timer recording due to a memory space being occupied by the immediately recorded program although the user set timer recording of the programs after confirming that the available memory space is sufficient.
Particularly, the user may fail to record the most preferred program since the time to record the most preferred program has been set as the last among the programs registered in the timer recording program list.
The conventional video device having the video recording function also has the following problem. In order to determine if it is possible to record the most preferred one of the programs registered in the timer recording program list, it is necessary for the user themselves to calculate memory spaces required for the programs and an available memory space of the video device and then to rearrange (for example, delete and move) data items in a hard disk of the video device to secure a memory space required to record desired programs up to the most preferred program based on the calculated memory spaces.